Who knows the streets better than your local street dwellers? Vienna launched a tour program where homeless people take travelers around the city to talk about their personal experiences of living in the streets while shedding light about the facts of 'homelessness' in the Austrian capital.
Initiated by the Shades Tours Vienna, the group wants visitors to experience a new idea of vacation by posing the questions, "What challenges do homeless people face? How does the Viennese social system work? How do social institutions help?"
Shades Tours Vienna founder Perrine Schober told The Lonely Planet that the project "was to 'alleviate poverty through tourism and [...] help people overcome their prejudices and questions surrounding homelessness." Schober worked with charities and organizations to make the project a reality and encourage tourists to ask questions about the issue in Vienna.
The movement also generates employment opportunities for the homeless. Shades Tours would want to point out, however, that, "Please don't expect that we will take you to sight-see homeless people. Neither will they showcase their tragedies. We work with symbols that your guide will pick to explain different issues to raise awareness and understanding."
Statistics shows that there are about 16,033 homeless in Austria with 9, 736 of them can be found in Vienna. There are 1,174 street dwellers in the city, but luckily, Shades Tours has 18 partners to curb the issue and uplift the lives of the homeless.
The tour will last for two hours and costs € 15 per person. Visitors who have booked the experience are expected to meet at Hauptbahnhof main train station and will be off to discuss the topic of homelessness. It will end in the Schweizer Garten Park adjacent to the Quartier Belvedere station.
Shades Tours was founded in 2015 and was organized by Schober after having found inspiration in London, Prague, Barcelona and Amsterdam who also hold similar tours.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
